Moments
by Paper Pearls
Summary: Lily, Andromeda, Merope and Tonks all had very different situations, but at one point in their lives, each had to tell their husband that she was pregnant.


**This is my response to the "Daily Prompts From the Mods" and it is dedicated to the-girl-of-crazy for her brainchild.**

**OoOoO**

"James?" He turned from the Daily Prophet and faced her. The newspaper would be full of death, loss and fear. _How was she supposed to tell him?_ Lily sat down beside him and covered James' hand with her own.

"Are you okay? You're looking a bit pale." James watched her closely as though he could work out what was wrong with Lily by staring.

"Yes, I'm fine." Lily sighed and shook her head. "No. No I'm not, because I'm pregnant."

James pushed a hand through his hair, looking so shocked that she was almost tempted to laugh. _Almost._ But Lily didn't want to have a baby when everything and everywhere had become dangerous.

"Are you sure?" He sounded hopeful. It was completely irresponsible, and yet Lily found that she was excited too.

"Yes, I'm sure." Lily allowed herself to imagine that they could do it – keep their baby safe. _Their baby_. If anyone had told Lily even two years ago that she would be starting a family with James Potter, she would have given them directions for St. Mungo's.

For the first time since they had left Hogwarts, since his life had stopped being about pranks and started being about staying alive, James grinned broadly. He laughed in delight, kissing Lily on the forehead.

"I hope that it has your eyes." She swatted his arm.

"Our child is not an 'it'." As James laughed, it occurred to Lily that she had never loved his impractical nature more.

**OoOoO**

There was no going back now – not that Andromeda would ever want to return to her family. Never again would she let anybody treat her as though she was nothing. Every breath she had inhaled in that house had tasted of darkness. Behind the masks of the supposedly ordinary people that were her family lay so much hatred and wrong that Andromeda was still scared of them, of becoming like them. _Just a little bit_. But bad or not, they had been her family.

They would never forgive her for this.

There was plenty of shame to be had in running away with a mud- a muggleborn.

There was even more in having a child with him.

No matter how much Ted loved her, a tiny part of Andromeda had never stopped longing for her father to praise her like he had done Bellatrix, or her mother to compliment her like she had done Narcissa.

Still, she would have a baby; a person who would never be tainted by their parents' prejudices, someone that would never be left waiting to be noticed. Andromeda didn't know if she'd be a good mother or not, but she was determined to love her child unconditionally.

"Ted, I'm pregnant." She continued to look up at the ceiling, listening to the bed creak as he rolled onto his side.

"Are you – are you happy about it?" There was a hint of uncertainty in his voice. Ted had always expected her to vanish and return to a world that he would never understand was now closed to her forever. Perhaps it was time to leave the past behind and concentrate on the future.

"It's... a big change, but yes. I'm glad." He sighed in relief.

"I love you, Andromeda."

"I love you too, Ted. Now go to sleep." Andromeda closed her eyes, wondering what any child of hers would end up looking like. _Perfect, no matter what._

**OoOoO**

Merope leant into his side, trying not to notice as he recoiled from her touch. He would grow to love her without the potion, or so she hoped. All she needed was time. And the baby would help, surely. Already Merope loved it, because it was _his_.

She watched as Tom stood, indifference schooling his beautiful face into a cold mask, and poured himself a glass of scotch.

_You're worthless – nobody will ever care about you_. But her father wasn't here now.

"I'm pregnant." Merope looked up at him, certain that it would all change. He was going to love her.

Tom spat out the whisky, features twisted in disgust. Perhaps he didn't like the taste – she never had. He threw the glass into the fire, where it shattered. Crystal shards glistened in the firelight. For a moment Merope stared at the roaring flames until his voice drew her back into the present.

"I can't stand this. You're vile." He pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking with anger. Merope recognised anger – it was all she had ever seen until Tom. "Why would I ever have... degraded myself?"

Merope tasted ash at the back of her mouth. _It could only be a matter of time until he loved her. _The news would take a while to sink in. Her father had always said that her birth had shocked him_. The purest of blood, and I'm left with a halfwit._

"It is good." She smiled, placing a hand over her stomach. Tom would understand. He stared at her, revulsion and fear dancing behind his eyes like madness.

"To hell with this nightmare! I'm going home, and if you ever come near me again, then I'll kill you with my bare hands." He backed out of the room like a frightened animal and fled. She sat frozen as Tom ran away.

Merope's hand slipped from her stomach. She hoped that her child would be beautiful like Tom. It would never love her, she knew.

**OoOoO**

Hopefully it would bring them closer.

Hopefully it would allow Remus to start thinking of them as a family.

They had made a baby together. It was one half of him, one half of her, and one whole new person. The more she thought about it, the more wonderful it would seem to Tonks. She knew that Remus would worry – because Remus always worried about the wolf inside him – and that it was foolish to imagine that he would do otherwise. But he was bound to love the idea of their child... _wasn't he?_

Before Tonks could reconsider her decision, she used what Moody had always referred to as _bloody hotheadedness_ and said the words.

"I'm pregnant." She waited, forcing her smile to remain in place. Remus stared into the fire, refusing to look at her.

"How?" His voice was hollow. Tonks couldn't hear any of her delight in it. Determined for Remus to be as happy as she was, Tonks attempted to make him laugh.

"Well Remus, when a man and a woman love each other very much-"

"This isn't the time for joking, Nymphadora!" He leapt to his feet in a sudden motion, eyes flashing furiously. Instinctively she took a step backwards, regretting it almost before both of her feet had touched the ground.

Remus laughed bitterly.

"Then what, Remus? Tell me what I'm supposed to do, if I'm not allowed to be pleased that I'm going to have a baby with my husband." She took a deep breath, pushing the impatience from her tone. "Look, I'm every bit as scared as you are. I'm an _auror_, that's who I am, but I'm going to have to stay behind a sodding desk until the baby's born, but that doesn't mean I love it any less."

"Don't you understand?" There was such anguish in his expression that Tonks wanted to cry. "What if it...shares my affliction? What if I've given this to an innocent child – _our_ child? How is a baby supposed to transform into a werewolf?" He eyed her stomach, still flat. "It'll be so small."

Tonks wrapped her arms around her shoulders, grateful when Remus returned the gesture.

"There's nothing to suggest it's a hereditary condition. Nothing. But if our baby is... different in any way, then I think it'll need you to at least want it. And maybe I do too."

"It..." Remus coughed. His voice was gruff as he continued. "Of course I do, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm terrified."

"Me too. I mean, what if they end up being as clumsy as I am. How are we supposed to baby-proof this place then?" Remus groaned.

"And worse – what if our child inherits your sense of humour?"

They were both frightened, but no longer did Tonks feel so alone. She had a family.

**OoOoO**

**Thanks for reading. Please review. **


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